Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ

Digital Art FAQ (for authors and suppliers of digital art work)

General FAQ

1. What is Rapid Inspector?
   Rapid Inspector is a stand-alone software application that helps you ensure that your graphics are suitable for print purposes.
   
   
2. How does Rapid Inspector know my journal's specifications?
   When you click on the title of the journal for which your work is intended, Rapid Inspector is started with a configuration customized to that journal.
   
   
3. Why do I have to download Java Web Start?
   Java Web Start (JWS) is a technology for simplifying the deployment of Java applications; the JWS download contains the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in which Rapid Inspector runs. Using JWS, starting Rapid Inspector is as simple as clicking on a link on the Rapid Inspector startup page.
   
   
4. When installing Rapid Inspector, I get a message that says the application needs "unrestricted access" to my local machine and network. What does this mean?
   "Unrestricted access" means that Rapid Inspector will need to use certain resources present on your computer. When you select a graphic file for testing, Rapid Inspector will open this file in read-only mode and close the file when the test has completed (it does not make any changes to the files). Rapid Inspector also writes the results of its tests into an HTML file so you can save the file and, if desired, print it from your Web browser. Rapid Inspector must also communicate inspection results back to the Rapid Inspector server.
   
   
5. I am concerned my IT department won't allow the installation of this software. Are there any issues regarding system integrity?
   The Rapid Inspector installation files have been digitally signed by Cadmus Communications. As Rapid Inspector is being installed and started for the first time, Java Web Start queries a server at VeriSign to establish that this digital signature matches the certificate on file at VeriSign. If the signatures match, the integrity of the downloaded files is verified and you will be prompted to decide whether or not to start the application.
   
   
6. I receive a message similar to "no imgScan in java.library.path. Supported formats include: eps, tiff, pptx". What's wrong?
   You likely need to clear your Java Web Start cache. Close the current Rapid Inspector window and complete the following steps:
     Windows
      - Click on the Start menu
      - Click 'Control Panel'
      - Double-click on the 'Java' icon
      - In the General tab, under Temporary Internet Files, click 'Settings...'
      - Click 'Delete Files...' and choose OK
      Proceed with using Rapid Inspector
   
     Mac
      - Open a Finder window
      - Click Applications → Utilities → Java → J2SE #.0 → Java Preferences
      - On the 'General' tab, under 'Temporary Internet Files', click 'Delete Files'
      Proceed with using Rapid Inspector
   
   
7. Does Rapid Inspector detect extra white space around my scans?
   Will Rapid Inspector crop my image scans?
   Although Rapid Inspector can determine the dimensions of your image, it does not detect or warn about extra white space around an image. Rapid Inspector does not crop images; it only reads image attributes.
   
   
8. Does Rapid Inspector detect the size of my images?
   Does it PASS/FAIL my images because of its dimensions?
   Yes, Rapid Inspector can determine the size of your images, however, it does not PASS or FAIL your images based on this information. Rapid Inspector measures images using picas and points. This is the unit of measurement used in the printing industry for ease of dividing columns on a page. There are six picas in an inch, and 12 points in a pica. Height is not as important as width. Image width should not exceed the intented column width. The height should remain proportionate to the width. Please consult the journal's instructions to authors for specific column widths.
   
   
9. I receive a failure message from Rapid Inspector that says 'Alpha Planes' (alpha channels). What are alpha channels and what can I do to fix this?
   Rapid Inspector will report a ALPHA_PLANES error when it finds an image with extra color (or channel) information. This error is inherent to an image that contains more color channels (or planes) than needed.
   
   Please visit this link to see how to remove alpha channels in Adobe Photoshop.
   
   
10. The Cadmus Digital Art web site states that combination halftones should be 600 DPI, but I inspected a 300 DPI combination halftone in TIFF format and it PASSED Rapid Inspector ... why?
    The TIFF file format, in addition to color modes, has a MINIMUM resolution requirement of 300 DPI.
    
    From a software program (Rapid Inspector) point of view, combination halftones in the TIFF format have very simple attributes: a number of pixels per inch, a color mode, and a size in height and width. Rapid Inspector cannot tell that a user has combined line art with a halftone. So, Rapid Inspector will pass any TIFF images higher than the MINIMUM required resolution.
    
    Please note the resolutions above are the Cadmus recommended resolutions. Publishers that signup to use Rapid Inspector have the option of choosing a different resolution to support (lower or higher than the recommended ones).
    

Digital Art FAQ

1. Does Rapid Inspector support the PowerPoint presentation format (*.ppt & *.pptx)?
   Yes, Rapid Inspector supports the PowerPoint format, however, your publisher has the option of turning PowerPoint support off. If you inspect a PowerPoint file and Rapid Inspector prompts you that the format is not supported, it is because your publisher elected to turn PowerPoint support off for their journal titles.
   
   WARNING! Microsoft Office applications are strongly discouraged for use in the printing process. These files are likely to result in inferior resolution and color quality, and do not reliably handle fonts or embedded images (and thus are subject to missing or improperly converted characters). However, it is possible to convert images prepared in these applications to suitable graphic files. The best results can be achieved by converting these files into EPS format, using the procedure outlined in this link. While it is possible to convert such files into TIFF or JPEG format, the resolution of the resultant files will be inferior.
   
   
2. My digital art submissions passed Rapid Inspector but when I received my page proofs the artwork looked terrible ... why?
   While Rapid Inspector inspects images, it reads the image's attributes from a programmatic perspective. For example, if RI reads a TIFF image, it will determine the color mode, the resolution, and the dimensions of the image. RI reads these attributes to determine, based on the minimum requirements set by the journal, if the image is acceptable.
   
   RI cannot determine visual appearance of an image, therefore, if the image is mechanically acceptable (e.g., it meets the acceptable resolution) then the image will PASS inspection. However, the image may appear to be poor quality even though it has an acceptable resolution.